Blog

October 17, 2013

Why a high speed blender?

Dinner Diva
Why a high speed blender?

By: Leanne Ely

If you were to ask me which small appliance in my kitchen is absolutely my most indispensable item, you might be surprised at my answer.

I don’t use my microwave, I don’t need a toaster since I don’t eat bread and I don’t do a lot of baking so the stand mixer doesn’t get a lot of use. So what’s left?

I’ll tell you what’s left-my Vitamix.

There was a time in my life when I would have told you that a high performance blender was a waste of counter space. But now that I am addicted to fresh green juices and healthy smoothies (and the great feeling of good health that goes with those two things), I couldn’t imagine life without my Vitamix.

Now, let’s get one thing out of the way. The folks at Vitamix aren’t sending me any money (or free product!) for saying their product’s name. I’m only using the brand name because it is the one that I use, know and love. I hear that Blendtec is in the same league as Vitamix (these are the two main players in the high speed blender space).

These small appliances come with a pretty big price tag. You can pay anywhere from $400 and up for a Vitamix or a Blendtec.

So, why does one need a $500+ blender? First of all, the Vitamix is more than just a blender, thank you very much.These small appliances do cost a lot, but they can replace a dozen other items you have in your kitchen. And with the warranty behind them (5-7 years depending on the model), they are worth the investment.

Sure, your regular old blender can make smoothies, purees and dips, but can it make juice out of kale? Can it make milk out of almonds? Can it grind grains and nuts into flour? I rest my case.

A Vitamix can help with your food prep by chopping, creaming, grinding and kneading, and it can even cook a batch of soup for you, for heaven’s sake.

A high performance blender like the Vitamix is an investment not only in your kitchen, but in your health. You’ll find that when you have one of these guys, that you eat more produce—zero excuses anymore for wasting food scraps!—, providing you and your family with more nutrients.

If you have a very good quality blender, a very good quality juicer, and a very good quality food processor, can you live without a Vitamix? Yes. But if you can afford one machine that will take the place of all those items, and get you the silkiest smoothies blend possible for man, you won’t regret it.

Now, if you happen to be looking for great smoothie recipes for your blender (whether it’s a high performance blender or one of the less expensive models), you are in luck!

Using Blender for juicing can be a play but it shreds the skin/cover of the fruits.The Squeezing/Masticating type are said to be more natural and give you better flavor.

Vicki

The major difference is that the blender is including the whole fruit — incl the fiber, which helps your body assimilate the fruit sugars slowly. A masticating juicer gives you juice more like what you get from a store — the juice itself, without the fiber. So you are getting more of the sugars. Just depends on your goal. The blender “juice” is going to be thicker, denser, opaque — think really thin smoothie.

empowerall

Agreed for sugar.But it is said that certain enzymes present in the juice are poorly absorbed in the presence of pulp.

AlisonW

I use my vitamix every day. It’s the best kitchen tool I have.

Deb

Purchased Vitamix 5200 at my local (OH) Costco – I believe $380. It has only one container. We love it. Three of the four of us are blending Leanne’s smoothies every day! (The 4th member is not at home weekdays but really enjoys the smoothies on the weekend.) A friend uses hers to make juice icees for her grade schooler, ice cream, etc. I need to start experimenting!

Debbie Belcore

Could everyone leave one example of what they are doing with it (that can’t be done with and < $100 good blender? I had a Ninja and took it back. Blendtec would be next to try (Costco special pricing at times and it has an "undercountertop" (i.e. lower height than Vitamix). The $79 Cuisinart I had was GLASS.

Bert

Debbie, I use mine everyday! I use it to make fresh almond milk and smoothies. I have also used it to make soup, piping hot from the blender itself.

Debbie Belcore

Thank you for your reply:-) – but Im trying to understand the specifics (I make soup in my cheapie glass blender) I learned how to make almond milk at Ann Wigmore institute (it didn’t involve a blender). The ninja didnt do a good job on the veg like kale. But I’m not a big proponent of drinking your veg. I remember they said the blender heats up enough to ‘cook’ the veg. Are you putting them in there raw?

Traci G

Debbie, Vitamix also has a shorter “under countertop” version. I bought mine a couple of months ago on QVC. My old Vitamix that I’ve had for 10 years was perfectly fine but I wanted one that I could keep out & therefore use daily, which I do now My stepmother is now using my old one almost everyday since I gave it to her. I do a green smoothie that a friend recommended that has about a cup or so of organic grapes, then some big handfuls of RAW kale (or we’ve used a mix of baby chards, kales & spinach) then pack the rest of the way with ice. You will need to use the tamper to push things down towards the blades but all in all in runs for less than a minute so nothing is heated – you have a fresh vivid green cold smoothie. My 9 yr old son is not a fan but my daughter & I could drink these daily!

Megan

Our Vitamix just arrived two days ago and I am now making the most amazing smoothies! Our old blender wouldn’t crush ice or make a decent smoothie to save its life…and the reason we bought it was because it had an ice crush button. I am so excited to see what new treats we can whip up with this amazing machine!

Shelley

EBAY! I bought an older model Vitamix a few years ago and it works great. It was a great price for my budget and if it ever kicks the bucket I will definitely replace with a newer model, but so far I have had no complaints.

Mcjenson

I have been watching utube videos comparing the blenders. Ningia didn’t pulverize the seeds. Blend tec with the new jar seemed equal with the vitamix but blend tec fits under the counter. Any experience with the blend tec with the new jar out there?

Shana

I’ve held onto my old blender that was made in the 70’s that I inherited from my grandmother primarily because it has a GLASS canister. When it comes to my food, I want the least exposure to plastic as possible, especially since I may be blending warmer items like sauces and soups. From my understandingt the Vitamix has a plastic canister. I even gave up my traditional coffee maker years ago due to the hot water running through the plastic parts of the coffeemaker. Call me conservative, but I am concerned about plastic and our food. I realize we can’t avoid it entirely, but I try to make the best decisions when I can.

McBee

I agree with Shana about wanting a glass container. Can’t understand why Vitamix hasn’t come out with one as an after market option to buy. Plastic roducts marked BPA free have usually replaced it with BPS which some have reported is worse for us than BPA. I’ll check out the other brands some folks have mentioned to see if they have glass containers.

Shana

Thank you! I am happy that you are concerned about this issue too! You are right, just because something is BPA free doesn’t mean it is necessarily okay. Just what are they replacing BPA with? It is still plastic which is a petroleum product. Thank you McBee!

StephLee

I totally agree but for Vitamix it is a safety issue. Too much torque – the glass could break with its powerful motor. The old ones were stainless steel and I would love to find one.

rosewood48 RI

I bought my Vitamix in the late 70s. It has stainless canisters. I got one with spout for kitchen use and one without spout for making garden ‘tea’ for my plants and garden. There have been no problems; with any of the parts. Peiodic replacemnt of the seals is the only requirement.

BlingyRose

I bought my Vitamix from HSN. I loved it so much that I bought one for my son when he went back to school. I can say that I like it so much that I bought TWO with no regrets. Check out HSN. They usually have payment plans.

Kim M.

I absolutely love my Vitamix. We use it daily making green smoothies, throwing everything in that is in the veggie drawer,(carrot, celery, kale, beet, etc. plus an apple). We are addicted because of the ease of use and how we feel drinking the smoothies. We’ve been making smoothies long before that, but with the Vitamix, the texture is far smoother. I also add water or additional juice which helps with the mixing and drinkability of the smoothie. We can no longer live without it.

Archie

In Australia we pay about $1,000 for a VitaMix, even though he dollar is on par. The shipping cost is horrific to Oz.

Linda

My 99 dollar Sears Elite Blender works for me just fine! And a has a glass jar as well. (Which can be replaced if it breaks at Sears parts). I owned a Vitamix years back when the jar was stainless steel. For my uses, it did not perform much better than my Sears Elite Blender. On top of that, the Vitamixes are SO loud I ruined my hearing! Never again. Most blenders are loud enough and I now still use ear plugs any time I use my Sears blender, but the Vitamix was way over the top.

A good standard Cuisinart food processor and good blender is all I need. If I want to cook blended soups, I can just whip up the contents in my blender and heat in a pan on the stove. Never again, a vitamix for me.

ant

A low speed blender would leave more vitamins in it, the faster you spin it the more you put oxygen in the drink = less vitamins.

Barb

A bit off topic, but just a reminder for smoothie lovers: do NOT just bolt them down. Drink at a leisurely pace, so that the ingredients can be predigested somewhat in your mouth. Better for the tummy and better for nutrient absorption.

Angela

I bought my vitamix of qvc and it paid for itself in a year, maybe less. I still don’t use it for as many different things as I would like, but someday I will.

http://www.bestblenderforsmoothiesguide.com Steph

I’m thinking about buying a blender but not sure which one…most likely i will only make smoothies but what if I want to make some juice? can i do that with a blender or should I buy a juicer?